The Elves' Invitation

While Angela was wreaking havoc in the town, Li Lin strolled leisurely along the road. He didn't concern himself with Angela's situation; after all, the little one was someone who could easily slaughter even a well-trained Paladin Order. Add to that the two Hell Pit Fiend he had sent to assist her, and dealing with a town composed only of mercenaries and ordinary people was almost like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Therefore, he wasn't worried at all that Angela would mess things up. Instead, Li Lin began to admire the beautiful scenery of the grassland.

This left the patrol captain following behind him utterly bewildered. She couldn't understand why this human would save the elves. From the time they were old enough to understand, they had been taught that humans had always hunted them and sold them. In fact, during her patrols, the captain had witnessed several times how humans captured their own kind. They treated the elves like dogs, putting collars on them and dragging them out to be sold. Although she had never seen her own kind being sold, just imagining it filled her with unbearable humiliation and anger.

Elves harbored no affection for humans, a fact well understood by all. Yet, this man before them seemed utterly unconcerned. He appeared to have no racial barriers between elves and humans, walking naturally across the Eternal Plain. He even occasionally chatted with the patrol captain, discussing the scenery. Not only was his attitude strange, but even his language was odd. Fluent Elvish wasn't something just anyone could speak, and humans generally didn't study Elvish languages. Therefore, Li Lin's proficiency in Elvish surprised the patrol captain. But what puzzled her most was the strange system of words mixed within Li Lin's Elvish. He frequently uttered ancient phrases, words long forgotten in the modern Elven kingdom. Where had this man learned such a language?

Curiosity, doubt, unease.

Filled with these complex emotions, the patrol captain followed behind Li Lin. Although Li Lin hadn't asked him to, the elves were clearly very curious and wary of his presence. In fact, after that, the patrol captain ordered his two subordinates to take the rescued elf girl away, while privately instructing them to immediately report this strange situation to their superiors.

However, despite being very curious about Li Lin's identity, the patrol captain still didn't believe he would kill his own kind. Although she had clearly heard Li Lin give the order to Angela, she still had doubts. No matter how you looked at it, Li Lin was a human. Would a human help an elf kill a human? Even from a human's perspective, it was probably hard to believe such a thing.

The wind has changed direction.

The gentle breeze, which was originally filled with the scents of soil and grass, now carried a faint, almost imperceptible, burnt smell.

"It looks like Angela did a good job."

Li Lin looked up, gazing with satisfaction at the black dot on the distant horizon, where thick black smoke was billowing out, standing out starkly against the azure sky.

The closer the patrol captain got to the town, the more surprised she became. Elves had far better eyesight than humans, so she saw the town clearly much earlier than Li Lin. Initially, the patrol captain had suspected it was some kind of conspiracy or trap. But she clearly saw the burning houses; the nascent human town she had secretly glimpsed from afar had been completely destroyed.

Not far outside the town, Angela was sitting on a rock, swinging her legs idly as she waited for Li Lin to arrive. Upon seeing Li Lin, Angela quickly smiled excitedly, stood up, and waved to him as Li Lin slowly walked towards her.

"Master! Here... here... I've already completed my mission, haven't I?"

"I knew you wouldn't let me down."

As Li Lin spoke, he glanced at the blood-stained ground behind Angela. It seemed that Angela had indeed carried out his orders thoroughly. She had spared no living creature except for elves—just look at the dead rats and dogs on the street.

"Very good, good boy, I'll give you a reward when we get back."

Li Lin reached out and stroked Angela's hair with satisfaction, which made Angela squint her eyes happily like a kitten. If she had a tail, it would probably be wagging around by now.

"But..."

Li Lin stroked Angela's head while looking around.

What's going on with these elves?

Not far from Angela, a group of elves were gathered, their expressions filled with fear, unease, gratitude, and confusion. Judging from their tattered clothes, they were clearly the elven slaves who had been imprisoned earlier, but their presence here was rather strange. According to Li Lin, the Eternal Plain the territory of the Land of Elves. Although a thousand years had passed, after chatting with the elven patrol captain on the way, he knew that while humans now dared to enter the Eternal Plain in groups for "hunting trips," the Land of Elves still controlled most of this grassland—a fact that remained unchanged. He hadn't ordered Angela to leave these elves behind; in Li Lin's imagination, since these elves had been released, escaping into the Eternal Plain wouldn't be difficult. But judging from their current appearance, instead of fleeing, they were gathered together, as if waiting for something.

"I have no idea what these elves are thinking."

Angela opened her eyes and gave a cold smile.

"Maybe they're just born servile, too lazy to run away and wait for humans to catch them?"

"Based on my understanding of elves, this possibility is not high..."

Li Lin remained silent for a moment, then turned to look at the patrol captain not far behind him.

"Then, Miss Elf, I'll leave these elves to you. I hope it won't be anything troublesome."

"Oh..."

Faced with Li Lin's order, the patrol captain was unsure whether to respond. In the end, she gave a strange reply, then hurriedly turned around and ran towards her fellow elves. As soon as she arrived, the elves surrounded her. Although it was unclear what they were saying, it seemed that things were not so simple.

Meanwhile, Angela enthusiastically pulled Li Lin aside, proudly recounting everything she had encountered during her mission. She especially praised the two Hell Pit Fiend Li Lin had summoned, perhaps suggesting that evil does indeed attract evil. Although Angela initially disliked these "black bulls covered in flames," they immediately won Angela favor after the Hell Pit Fiend successfully completed her commands.

Back on Earth, Angela didn't have the time or energy for such entertainment; it was limited to a small circle and kept secret. However, not everyone enjoys having to do everything themselves. After arriving here, although she had two subordinates, Mina and Fina were utterly incompetent. They would hesitate for ages just to kill someone. Although Angela patiently tried to train them, it seemed to have little effect. Moreover, they were, after all, once human, and it's unlikely they would actually find pleasure in watching human suffering.

But the Hell Pit Fiend are different; they are devils, not humans. Moreover, devils relish the pleasure of human suffering, a trait they share with Angela. Furthermore, devils are a race that values hierarchy and power, and Angela is far superior to the two Hell Pit Fiend in both strength and status. Naturally, they obey her commands—especially since their aesthetic views are remarkably similar.

So, as the summoning time was about to arrive, the two Hell Pit Fiend seemed a little "reluctant" to part. Although they were demons, they were occasionally summoned to the Prime Material Plane, and those who summoned them were mostly not good people. However, those guys had many concerns and some principles that demons considered meaningless—it was always "this won't do" or "that won't allow it." Although demons valued the benefits after the summoning, a pleasant cooperation was also important. It wasn't easy to find a superior as cruel, tyrannical, treacherous, and vicious as Angela, who also shared similar aesthetic views.

Of course, these were minor matters. Angela and the Hell Pit Fiend had turned the entire town upside down. After confirming that there were no living creatures besides elves, she released them all. Then, for some unknown reason, the elves kept following her. Although Angela found it annoying, she could only completely ignore them because of Li Lin's orders. After the two demons' summoning time ended and they returned to Hell, Angela waited idly for Li Lin's arrival.

"Human beings."

Just as Li Lin and Angela were chatting, the patrol captain also came over. She looked somewhat hesitant, but she did not avoid Li Lin's gaze.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Don't worry about it. I was just doing what I was supposed to do according to the covenant."

Li Lin spoke casually, but this so-called "covenant" still puzzled the patrol captain. She had no idea when elves and humans had made any agreement, but that didn't stop her from continuing.

"To express our gratitude, my compatriots would like to invite you to the Forest of Elves to receive our hospitality and thanks."

"Just for this?"

Li Lin looked at the elves who were still gathered around, making no move, with some surprise.

"You mean, the reason they stayed was to invite us?"

"Yes, humans."

The patrol captain nodded slightly.

"They originally intended to invite this young lady, but judging from her tone, it was clear they had more than one person to thank, so my compatriot is here waiting for your arrival."

"It seems the elves still respect tradition as much as ever..." Li Lin smiled wryly. He had almost forgotten that these elves could be quite peculiar in their insistence on certain things. Li Lin had originally thought that after so many years of war and conflict with humans, the elves would have become somewhat more adaptable. However, it seems that old habits die hard... But his original goal was to go to the Forest of Elves, and this was just a side trip to help, so Li Lin wouldn't refuse their invitation.

"... Then we shall respectfully comply. https://www. hetushu. com."

After the patrol captain once again explained to the elves on behalf of Li Lin that the human had accepted their invitation, the elves finally left the now-ruined town.

"I simply cannot understand the thoughts of these elves."

Angela looked at the group of elves in front of her with disdain and snorted coldly.

"Just for something this trivial, they actually kept them all? What on earth is the elf thinking?"

"Elves have always been this stubborn."

Li Lin shrugged dismissively at Angela's complaints.

"Sometimes they get stuck in some very strange logic, and in those situations, they won't change their minds no matter what. They believe that inviting us is the only way they can express their gratitude, so if anyone leaves first, it's disrespectful to us. Although they understand that staying would be dangerous, it's clear they don't intend to give up their performance because of that. It's the same in the forest. I've already heard from the elf lady that humans can capture elves either by raiding their habitats or by setting fire to the forest to force them out. And even though these elves know it's a trap, they still go out to put out the fire to save their forest..."

"Master... if you ask me, with their level of intelligence, these elves are only fit to be slaves..."

"... Just don't say things like that in front of them."

Faced with Angela's vicious mockery, Li Lin let out a bitter laugh. This was the difference between humans and elves. No matter how stubborn humans were, they could adapt flexibly to changing circumstances. But elves, even when facing mortal danger, found it difficult to make corresponding changes. In peacetime, this was merely a harmless joke. But in this harsh wartime, it had become a tragedy. The enemy would not show mercy to the elves just because they adhered to their principles. Yet the elves seemed never to realize this—or perhaps they did, but were powerless to change it. After all, the forest was the elves' home. Although they could easily cover their ears and ignore the forest's cries and the raging fires, this could not stop the fact that humans were wreaking havoc and destroying the forest.

Led by the elves, the two quickly crossed the Eternal Plain and arrived at the true territory of the Land of Elves — the Forest of Elves.